


Chiaroscuro

by Dream_Wreaver



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Birthday Presents for Wonderful Friends, F/M, Universe Alterations, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 23:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16753108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Wreaver/pseuds/Dream_Wreaver
Summary: Once upon a time there were creatures of the night. This is the story of two of them.





	Chiaroscuro

**Author's Note:**

  * For [poppicock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poppicock/gifts).



> This... this was a long labor of love. But it was worth it. Happy Birthday Poppi! I really hope you like it.

Because of what she was, she was hunted down and killed. Well, not her specifically, but many of her kind, including her family. The Sancoeurs had been an ancient and powerful clan of vampires, and then it had all gone up in smoke. They’d burned her family crypt to the ground at daylight. The only reason Nathalie had been able to escape was a strange ability she and she alone possessed. Every vampire had a gift, a certain proficiency with some skill or trade. Nathalie had her intelligence, though that was due more to more to her clan’s privilege than anything else. No, Nathalie’s special skill was umbrakinesis, which she used to create a barrier of shadows around her to protect her from the searing touch of the hated, hated sun. Cloaked in her shadows she’d escaped into the depths of the forest nearby.

She had been running ever since. Every town, she could not stay. There were clans, factions who would not take in a lone vampire whose family had been destroyed. None of them believed the humans would have discovered them, they thought humans were too stupid. They thought Nathalie had killed her own clansmen for the sake of some idiotic reason which changed with each town. Sometimes, she was able to eek out a meager living on the fringes of society, finding an abandoned cottage, or procuring one. But food was competitive everywhere, and the blood from the livestock and wild beasts of the land was nowhere near fulfilling of their human companions. But with other clans in the area, food was competitive, and when she encroached on their territory because she had no more of her own, the local vampires would inform the humans of her presence, neglecting to tell them she wasn’t the  _ only _ vampire that plagued their town.

Sometimes, they gave her the mercy of fleeing by the light of the moon, where she was at her strongest and could take a victim or two of her own as she left. But most was like the day her family had been burned all over again; with her calling on her shadows and flying into the wretched, despicable sunlight. On and on this went until eventually she stumbled upon a crumbling castle. It looked like it had been abandoned for years, and though the crypts were full of the dead, there were plenty of rooms that would do just as well. And it was close by, but well hidden from a small provincial village, perfect unsuspecting prey. She was going to be able to avoid a bloodlust after all.

Settling in took no time at all, given she had fled her home with nothing but the clothes on her back. The castle seemed well provided for, in regards to her needs anyways. There were some alternative outfits that weren’t too worn she could make use of, plenty of well kept books, dark corners which the sun couldn’t reach. The prey were just as easy to take down. They were wary about traveling in the woods, though only truly concerned with the growing moon. Nathalie wondered if perhaps… but no, there had been no sign nor scent of a wolf anywhere nearby. Surely that wasn’t the case. Nathalie’s ability to blend into the shadows made hunting easy at any rate.

And then, then it came. She should have noticed, there were tiny signs of life all over the ruins, things moved from where she had left them, rooms that should have been covered in dust well maintained. But it wasn’t until the night of the full moon that she was truly aware. She had been exploring one of the further back hallways when she picked up the sound of footsteps. That in itself had been a warning flag, since there was no indication any of the humans knew where this place was. At any rate, whoever this was would likely make a tasty snack. She followed the sound, melting into the shadows, and eventually spotted a man heading to the back gardens. He hesitated in the doorway, and Nathalie watched, curious as to what the cause could be. She had never seen him before, and yet, his presence was somehow not unfamiliar; as if some part of her had always known he was about, just not that he himself was who he was. Her mysterious housemate. He looked… like her. Not physically, no. Where she was dark and shadowy, preferring blacks which contrasted harshly against the deathly pallor of her skin, he was gentle moonlight, silvers and whites and pallid blues. He looked ageless, caught somewhere between young and old, immortal. He was not human, though he was not a vampire either.

Nathalie held her breath -extraordinary in and of itself given she’d left off the necessity of breathing a long, long, time ago- and watched, trailing after silently into the air. She watched as the moonlight rippled over his skin, silvery fur replacing skin and clothes. Where once he stood, there was a large and imposing wolf. Still like a man, until he dropped to all fours and began to race away from the ruined castle. What compelled her to do what she did next, Nathalie couldn’t say, but regardless, she followed after him. On and on they stalked the shadows of the forest, searching for prey to take down with animalistic intent.

The man was an old were, this much was evident by how effortlessly he ate up the ground. He wasn’t difficult to track by any means, but it was more more difficult than someone who was still getting used to their new forms. She saw it the same time he did, a foolish hunter late in the woods. Nathalie felt her fangs distend in hunger as she could hear the beating of his heart, pumping that invigoration elixir of life. Carefully she watched, keeping one eye trained on the prey, and the other on the remaining predator. There was tension in the air, that thread just before the snap as the pounce was rearing up.

Nathalie won, the hunter was drained with almost nothing left in about five seconds. The werewolf had paused mid-pounce, and looked somewhere between angered and dejected that he had been beaten to his meal. Nathalie let the corpse drop to the ground where it landed with a heavy thud against the soft grass. They locked eyes for a moment or two. Then Nathalie melted back into the shadows. She wondered what he would do now. It wasn’t surprising when he sniffed at the body before taking a single bite out of it. Nathalie knew a few things about her fellow monstrous creatures, and werewolves in particular didn’t like their meat too dry. As it was an entire person could fill her up for a few days. The man had been big enough to last about a week with how full she now felt, and she hadn’t even taken all his blood. When the werewolf realized this he went to town on it, stripping the flesh from bone and feasting. His maw was coated in the leftover blood by the time he was done. And the carnage had taken away her bitemarks to his neck. Huh, she wondered if this might be a suitable arrangement, since they already shared a living space.

In silence they went back to the ruined castle. The wolf retreated to the lower levels, and Nathalie followed after him. Was it foolish? Perhaps, but it wasn’t as though she couldn’t defend herself, besides; he’d already eaten, there was no real reason to attack since she’d been the one providing him with an easy meal.

“I’m not sorry for what I did,” she said almost immediately. Then she noticed the lower levels were completely barren. Devoid of anything and everything, including light. She was in a dungeon cell, and the werewolf had apparently made himself something of a home down here. Nathalie wondered if there might be others where she could set up an abode of her own.

The werewolf did not answer her spoken remark. He merely settled in a corner of the room where some soft blankets were piled up to make a small sort of nest. He looked at her intently. Strange, if he was capable of cognizant thought, as his bearing earlier had suggested, he should have been old enough to be capable of speech, even through the canine jaw. Then again, maybe it was only his some small part of his brain that was still logical. The rest was likely animalistic instinct, told only by that logic that she was no danger to him. Then again, it was a full moon out. Nathalie wasn’t altogether sure what effect the lunar cycle had on a werewolf’s mental state.

“I suppose you want to know what I’m doing here, right? Since I assume this was  _ your _ home first,” the wolf settled further into the nest, resting his head on his outstretched paws. Nathalie sighed, “Or am I supposed to wait here until you turn back? Will you turn back? I’m afraid your people never made it easy to learn about them. Then again, I don’t recall vampires freely offering up any information that might bring about our extinction either.”

Silence reigned. Nathalie sighed again. What did the man want from her? She wasn’t the type to use a sob story for any charity. She hated charity as a rule, but perhaps context would provide understanding, and maybe cause enough time for deliberation that she could leave before she was run off again.

Taking a deep breath, Nathalie began, “I wouldn’t normally be traveling. Not alone, anyways, but years ago, my clan was killed. Someone had figured us out, my crypt was burned during the daylight hours. There would be no escaping the burning heat, either of the flames or the sun’s rays. I barely escaped with my being, and only then because I can manipulate the shadows around me. I would demonstrate, but in total darkness I suppose it wouldn’t be that impressive. Ever since that day I have wandered without a home, settling in villages here and there. But most towns have monsters of their own, and when you’re competing for food the outsider gets turned on and turned in all too quickly. It was only recently I found this place, I never thought it might have been inhabited; perhaps that was because I was so tired of wandering and hiding, logically it would have been impossible for me to truly believe a location like this wasn’t already taken by some other creature of the night. But I digress,” she sighed, “Look, if you want me to leave, I’ll do so soon. I’m not trying to appeal to any better nature you might have, I just… I wouldn’t mind sharing the space and staying out of your way. But I’ll defer to you.” she was silent a moment more, before rising to her feet and retreating for the upper levels, “I will be in the chamber I took for myself. If you remember this, and can find a way to talk to me please, let me know what your decision is.” And with that she left the darkness behind for the only light she would ever welcome, the moon’s.

The next evening at around dusk Nathalie found herself awoken by a hand at her shoulder. Instantly she was on the attack, grabbing the offending limb and preparing to snap it in half. But another hand wrenched her own away, pinning her to the bed. It would have been more of a fight had she not already been lying down. But as it was, well… she’d lived a good century or so after she was supposed to have, it was more than most people got. She could be thankful for that. But the moment she stopped resisting the hands fell away. Now thinking more clearly her blurry vision revealed the form of the werewolf she’d encountered the night before.

“Oh, it’s you,” she sighed, “Last time I saw you, you were a wolf.”

“It’s an odd thing,” he shrugged, “It only happens when the moonlight touches my skin.”

“So wait… you’re like this almost every night?”

“Only when the moon is out, yes,” he nodded, “You’re lucky I had taken some wolfsbane earlier, I was far more cognizant than I would normally be on a full moon.”

“Isn’t wolfsbane deadly to your kind?”

“In large quantities, yes,” he agreed, “But we’re not here to talk about that. You want to stay here, right?”

“If there’s room and food enough, I would prefer it, yes,” Nathalie nodded, sitting up and reaching for her glasses, “But I understand if you want me gone. Werewolves and Vampires don’t exactly have the best history.”

“You can’t turn into a wolf?”

“Surprisingly there were elements of his novel Bram Stoker made up wholecloth,” Nathalie deadpanned, “Maybe there are vampires that can shapeshift like that, I personally, however, can not.”

“What a pity,” the man mused, “Can you stay out of my way when necessary?”

“What part of controlling shadows is my special ability escaped you last night?”

“And you won’t be spying?”

“I rarely have need to use that ability outside of hunting for a meal. And thanks to last night I won’t need to feed for a while. The question is, how often do you need to feed?”

“It depends,” he shrugged, “On the phase of the moon. The fuller it is, the more the lunacy affects me. The more wolf-like I am, the more I will want to hunt, and to feed. On lesser nights I just hunt livestock. Then again, that hunter was quite a catch, I don’t think I’ll be hungry tonight, or tomorrow night for that matter. What made you share him with me?”

“You’re the meat eater out of the two of us,” Nathalie shrugged, “After I hunt I usually just leave the body to rot. If I can spare that though, what’s the harm in sharing?”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense not to drain them immediately?”

“Humans talk, and eventually, they start to believe one another. The easiest thing to do is kill them. But that only matters here if you’re allowing me to stay.”

“So long as you stay out of my way when needed I don’t see any reason you can’t.”

“I can do enough hunting for both of us,” Nathalie replied, “You don’t need to risk your own sanity for food you know.”

“You would do that for me?”

“If I’m going to stay it isn’t going to be on charity, and if that’s the way to earn my keep, so be it.”

“Very well then,” he gave a swift nod, “Welcome to my home…”

“Nathalie,” she supplied, “Nathalie Sancoeur.”

“How fitting,” he remarked, “A vampire who’s heartless.”

“Like I haven’t heard that joke before,” Nathalie rolled her eyes even as she took his hand, “And you are?”

“Gabriel Agreste,” he answered.

“And the butterfly man is one to talk about names, hilarious,” Nathalie deadpanned, “Without sounding impertinent I do hope you realize you’re in no position to mock me for my name.”

“Obedient and defiant,” Gabriel remarked, “Aren’t you an interesting one.”

“I find no need to be defiant, though given a good enough cause I’ve been told it’s quite the spectacle. One I can assure you you won’t want to be on the receiving end of.”

Gabriel laughed, “I’m sure we’re going to find our living situation quite amicable, Nathalie.”

MLB

And so, they lived together. Not quite friends, but definitely not enemies either. Mostly they stayed out of the other’s way. Nathalie went out hunting and brought back bodies for Gabriel to feed on without worrying about needing the wolfsbane, or, as what happened more often, they went out hunting and Nathalie helped keep him from going on a rampage. Even at the strength of a full moon Gabriel was only equally proficient in combat with her.

Fifty year passed in this manner. And then, one night, Gabriel went out. It had been spring, Nathalie remembered that much. He cloying scent of life and fertility was everywhere. And Nathalie had never felt so disconnected from the world Han when spring rolled around. Because despite her beauty and bearing appearance, Nathalie was effectively dear. Vampires didn't bear children, vampire women especially. A vampire could only birth a child if they fornicated with a human woman, and dhampires had quickly been deemed blight to the vampire race, more interested in killing their monstrous progenitors than helping them.

Regardless, Gabriel had been gone for three weeks, and against her better judgement, Nathalie began to worry. Because they were selective about who they killed, they had thus far managed to avoid detection. But it didn't make either of them invulnerable by any means. And Nathalie worried he might have caught the bite of a hunter’s silver bullet while he was gone. Maybe she should have gone with him, but he had told her not to worry, that he could handle himself. Still, maybe he couldn't. They'd been working together so long that the accrue presence of silence was somehow unbearable. When she detected his scent, a combination of damp from the cells, rusted blood, and something uniquely male, Nathalie let out a silent sigh of relief. Instantly she melted into the shadows, hoping to both test his reflexes and surprise him. And then she saw that he hadn't returned home alone. Had her heart been beating, it might have sank, as it was though, Nathalie compartmentalized her nonexistent emotions to briefly face then suppress later. It didn't, however, make her desire to step out of the shadows and meet them.

“Nathalie!” she heard him, watched him call for her. She didn’t respond. The blonde woman looked around curiously, wondering who he could be talking to.

“Nathalie I know you’re there. Come out, it’s incredibly rude to spy on people,” Gabriel continued, “If you think I can’t smell you you’re dead wrong, and the fact that you bathe only makes it easier for me.”

“Darling,” the woman asked, “You live with another woman?”

“I live with a vampire,” Gabriel corrected. “And if she wants to  _ keep _ living here she’ll act as is befitting of her home.”

“Oh,” the woman was quiet, “Well that's exciting. I've never met a vampire before. Do you think she really can-”

“Emilie, dear,” Gabriel hushed her, “Whatever you're wondering about her, you can ask, provided it's not too invasive. Nathalie’s very clear with her boundaries, but right now she’s being childish.”

“I  _ am _ a vampire,” Nathalie cut in, letting her voice echo all around them so they couldn't pinpoint where she was hiding, “Lurking in the shadows is par for the course.”

“Please,” Gabriel scoffed, “You lurk in the shadows far more than any vampire would, and part of the reason is that you can control them.”

Emilie, she remembered Gabriel called her that, looked around the room in awe, “Wow,” she breathed, “A real live vampire. That’s amazing!”

“I would argue the ‘live’ point, but otherwise you are correct,” Nathalie responded, “My name is Nathalie, and you are?”

“Emilie,” she replied, “Can you come out? I want to see you.”

“I’m afraid not,” Nathalie tutted, “It’s about time I go and procure dinner, unless you’ve both already eaten.”

Emilie turned to Gabriel incredulously, “She hunts for you?”

Gabriel shrugged, “It’s nice not having to do the work every now and again. She gets the blood, and I take care of the body. Do you have a problem with that?”

There was something in his tone Nathalie couldn’t quite pinpoint. While it should have sounded like cold indifference and perhaps even indignation at the condemning of a system that worked incredibly well, instead Nathalie heard what almost sounded like… like fear. As though if Emilie scoffed at the notion Gabriel would stop it immediately. This wasn’t like him, and Emilie had to be the cause.

But, much as she may have wanted to, Emilie proved to be unhatable. She was too cheerful, too nice. By the virtue of what she was, the bride of a monster at the very least, she should have been incredibly contemptible. But she wasn’t. Nathalie actually  _ liked _ Emilie, if for nothing else than the simple virtue of her knowing how to read people. And by that, it meant she knew when to get the hell out of dodge. Nathalie often wondered, just what  _ was _ Emilie? Who was she, where did she come from, what made her want to come here as Gabriel’s mate? All these questions and more. But Nathalie was too proud to ask.

So she asked Gabriel. It was easier to feign mild curiosity around him, since she knew him better. And since he wasn’t nearly as adept as reading between the lines as he liked to believe. It was especially easy when he was engrossed in some other task, which was often.

“I met Emilie when I was away for those three weeks, I suppose you could say I finally felt the time was right to start a pack of my own… No, no, it’s more complicated than that, weres have to be incredibly selective, because oftentimes cross breeding results in inbred creatures more feral than is good for anyone… what is Emilie? Well, she’s not human, obviously. She’s a werecat… yes, yes I know what I said. But it’s true, when the moon hits her skin she turns into a giant feline, I think it’s some type of panther? I don’t know really… Well, that’s the thing, werewolves and werecats can breed, but the offspring can only be one or the other. Luckily werecats have the ability to carry more than one child at a time, so long as they stay in animal form throughout the duration of the pregnancy… Do you really think I either know or would want to explain the intricacies of this sort of thing to you? Do what you do best and find a book to read about it.”

More time passed. And Nathalie hunted, bringing back bodies every now and then. And then, Emilie got pregnant. How she knew when there were no signs, Nathalie would forever marvel. But she was expecting, and as such she shifted into a panther. Once the turning was complete, she was kept isolated in the dungeon. Just as the moon’s light could turn a were to their animal form, the sun’s light could change them back. Nathalie hunted a lot more during those months, Emilie needed the sustenance if she was to keep up her animal’s form. And Nathalie, well, she decided to turn her attention to finding a good way of storing the blood for later. Wine barrels apparently worked for more than just wine.

Out of the tiny litter of… humans… that were born -at that point Nathalie accepted the fact that she would never understand the reproductive biology of werecreatures and that perhaps some things were just better left unknown- only one survived past a few months. They named him Adrien. And he was exactly like his mother, a tiny little ray of sunshine. Despite having been reared in a panther’s stomach he was fully human. He did not shift with the rising and setting of the sun. Gabriel and Emilie explained that this was normal, that they wouldn’t know whether he was a werewolf or a werecat until he was older. Nathalie wasn’t about to ask any more questions. But Adrien was a sweet boy. He loved to be out and about, and he had taken a special liking to Nathalie. He was, for instance, the only one who could pinpoint her within the darkness, even when his parents’ superior sight, smell, and other senses could not. And oftentimes he would wake her up in the middle of the day, clamoring for her to come and play with him. And though she made a show of reluctance, Nathalie would without fail call upon her shadows to shield her and follow him out. Playing with Adrien usually meant simply standing still while he ran around her until he expended all his energy. The ruins that comprised his home were fodder enough for his imagination, and he narrated his stories (always different) to Nathalie as he raced about. Nathalie never could quite keep hold of the narrative since she made no effort to chase after him, but he was an entertaining child all the same.

And then, once he’d thoroughly tired himself out, he would go to her and they would sit in the shade of a large and ancient tree. Nathalie would have her back braced against the trunk and Adrien would remain curled up in her lap, lulled to sleep by the gentle sensation of her hand running over his hair or down his spine. Those times were times of quiet reflection for Nathalie. They reminded her of all that she’d gained, and all that she’d lost. Of how nice the sun felt as it warmed her icy skin through the protective barrier of her shadows. Of how that sensation had been a commonplace one so long ago, and how she had never appreciated it back then. She remembered that she had not quite forgotten how to breathe, as evidence by the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she simply breathed. In time with Adrien’s slow and measured breaths of sleep. Her mind would wander down incomprehensible paths, paths of abstract thought and emotions that came and went like the summer breeze. The years passed, and yet the idyllic life that they all had built there seemed to stay the same.

And of course, such words were practically  _ begging _ for disaster to strike. Nathalie wasn’t sure what circumstances had brought it about. Likely carelessness. This had been Adrien’s first hunt. His instincts had been developing, though his form was taking its time to manifest. But Adrien craved, and so his parents agreed that so long as they all went together, things would be alright. What fools they had been. When the gunshots rang out, Nathalie’s first instinct had been to fight. But, this prey had been a hunter who had quickly gotten wise. All he shot with were silver bullets now, and his aim had vastly improved. There was no fighting, the only thing they could do was hide and run. Adrien didn’t have the speed or stamina of his inner animal’s side. He was clumsy, and careless, and would be the first one brought down if something wasn’t done. Nathalie had been instructed to carry a small vial of wolfsbane to help him recover his senses, and she quickly tipped it into his mouth as she dragged him off back into the trees. By the time he calmed down he was in Nathalie’s arms. But the moonlight was high and full, and unless Nathalie’s powers could extend to those in close proximity to her, they would soon be dead. Taking a deep breath, Nathalie did exactly that. It took far more concentration, because she had to keep them moulded to two forms which could become separated, and she wasn’t sure how far her range might work in such a situation. Quietly she instructed Adrien to stay close to her, and they ran for the ruins of the castle.

Shots rang out, growing further and more distant. Were Gabriel and Emilie distracting him? On the one hand, Nathalie hoped so, but on the other, she hoped not. But the gods never heeded the prayers of monsters. Gabriel had come rushing back to the castle, dragging an injured Emilie along with him. The wolf looked so worried. And Emilie, something strange was happening to her. With each passing moment, she looked less and less feline, and more human. But dawn had not yet broken. Gabriel gritted his bared teeth and suddenly he was human again too, though much more worn out. He somehow looked  _ worse _ than Emilie, and she was the one bleeding everywhere.

“I didn’t know you could force your transformation like that,” she remarked quietly,

“Only those with the strongest of wills have been said to be able to. But that’s not what’s important,” Gabriel took her by the shoulders, “I need your help.”

“My help?” Nathalie blinked in confusion.

“I need you to heal her.”

“Have you lost it?” Nathalie asked, “We don’t have any supplies to help her. And if he shot her that silver bullet is doing to harm anyone who tries to get it out as much as it’s harming her now. Actually, it’ll probably hurt her  _ worse _ if we try to remove it, since it’s been sitting in there long enough to leech into her bloodstream. If I try to suck out the poison, I could kill her as well.”

“Then cry,”

“What?”

“Cry. Vampire tears are said to have the ability to heal mortal wounds.”

“Where in the world did you hear such a crazy thing?”

“Just do it?”

“Why would I?”

“Do you have a better idea?”

While they argued Emilie coughed. It caused them to stop, and they raced to her side as she rested on the floor.

“Gabriel,” she breathed, sounded as though her lungs had filled with blood, “You once told me that I couldn’t force Nathalie to do something, shouldn’t the same be said for yourself?”

“But, she could heal you if only she would-”

“No,” Emilie hushed him, “I won’t do that to her. If that’s not a thing she believes in we’ve no right to force her. My Gabriel, I love you. I love you so much, and the years I’ve spent as your mate have been the happiest of my life. Adrien, make sure Adrien knows I love him too. So, so much.”

“We’ll find a way to fix this,” Gabriel assured her, “You can tell him yourself.”

Emilie chuckled weakly, then turned her head to face Nathalie, “And Nathalie, sweet, sweet Nathalie,” she paused a moment to cough. Nathalie shut her eyes tight, as if blocking out the sight, blocking out the sounds of Emilie dying would keep it from happening, “You have to know how much I’ve loved being with you. Having you as part of this pack, part of this family. You’ve been there when I needed you, when Gabriel needed you, and now when Adrien needs you I’m sure you’ll be there too,”

“Emilie,” Nathalie began.

“Please,” Emilie hushed her, “Let me say this. I love you, we all love you. And you need to know that we are your family, just as you are ours. Please Nathalie, promise me one thing.”

“I don’t-”

“Promise me, this one thing.”

Nathalie opened her mouth to argue but found she couldn’t, “Alright,”

“Take care of them Nathalie. Please promise you’ll take care of them.”

“I- I promise Emilie,” Nathalie hurriedly replied.

“Give me your word,”

“I, I give you my word Emilie. Your will be done.”

The blonde smiled weakly, “Thank you,” she coughed, her breathing began to slow, “And I love you. I love you both, so very, very much.”

Her eyes closed, the gentle incline and depress of her stomach as she breathed ceased, and she was gone. Nathalie had to cover her mouth with both hands. No. No, no, no! Emilie couldn’t be dead. She just, couldn’t be. As Nathalie hunched over Emilie’s prone form a bloody tear slipped out of her eye, landing on Emilie’s waxen face. Instantly they saw the changes, a healthy flush was momentarily brought back to her cheeks, and her body expelled the silver bullet all on its own. For a moment, just a brief moment, they dared to hope. But as the body looked revitalized and young, Emilie’s eyes did not flutter open, nor did her chest suddenly sieze with breath. No, Emilie was gone, and only her shell remained.

But seeing the power her own sorrow beheld, Nathalie felt even worse. She hadn’t known she could do that. Hadn’t known vampiric tears held healing qualities. She had failed Gabriel, but worse than that, she had failed Emilie. In horror she beheld the beautiful doll and her gaze darted to Gabriel. He looked somewhere between shocked, sorrowful, and angry. And Nathalie couldn’t blame him. Had she but cried a few moments sooner Emilie would have still been alive. Adrien would have still had a mother. Gabriel would still have had his mate. Shakily Nathalie rose to her feet, intent on leaving and never returning. She dared one final glance at Gabriel, at the castle that had been her home, and would no longer be, and turned.

Before she could run though, a hand caught at her wrist.

“Wait,” Gabriel halted her. Nathalie shook her head, more crimson tears welling in her eyes. She had done this, he should hate her, he should want her gone, want her dead. Why was he stopping her?

“You promised Emilie, you gave her your word, you  _ have _ to stay.”

“How can you possibly say that?” Nathalie asked him, “How could you stand having me around? I’m so glad I don’t have a reflection because I would not be able to stand looking at  _ myself _ right now.”

“My feelings are irrelevant,” Gabriel replied, “What matters is Emilie. She wanted you to stay, and so you shall. Or, you could face the dawn, and be free of it. I wonder, would you really take such a cowardly way out?”

“I will do… whatever you want me to do,” Nathalie said, “A life for a life, I cause you to lose Emilie’s, it's only right that you should take control of mine.”

“A tempting offer, to have a Vampire servant,” Gabriel mused, “But such feudal ways are archaic to me. However, there may yet be a way to remedy this situation…”

“I will be with you, until the very end,” Nathalie vowed, “What must I do?”

“First, were going to need capital,” Gabriel murmured thoughtfully, “Lots and lots of capital…”

MLB

Of all the things Nathalie hadn't known about Gabriel Agreste, it was his penchant for design. The problem was, was that you needed money to make money. And in the seventy-five years since she had met Gabriel, the world had changed drastically. So he decided to make his fortune elsewhere first. And then he, as one of his own “descendants” would use the fortune to act as an eccentric designer while he did research for his own ends.

For years, he had tracked down the location of a collection of mystical objects known as the miraculous. The two most powerful, were those of creation and destruction; and when combined, they could grant a reality altering wish. Nathalie’s tears had rendered Emilie’s body incorruptible, and it looked as though she were just sleeping in her glass coffin. As the technology advanced, so too did her containment unit. He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible when she woke up.

But, his search had only led him to Tibet, following the trail of an incident. There, he found two miraculouses. The peacock and the butterfly. The latter suited his needs better, and he used his Kwami to try and lure out the others. In the midst of all this, Nathalie had taken up the role of just as eccentric assistant. The nice thing about the twenty-first century was that technology ruled everything and everyone. Which meant that Gabriel rarely had to leave his mansion. Nathalie, on the other hand… well, she was the one stuck dragging the tablet which he video-called from everywhere. Her shadows had to be retrained to cover everything except her face, which donned a pair of transitional lens glasses and worked with a black, UV blocking umbrella to keep the sun off her. Porphyria and an acute case of photosensitivity, that’s what the tabloids had been told. 

The hardest part though, was Adrien. Shortly after agreeing to serve him, Gabriel’s first action had been instructing her to alter Adrien’s memories of the event. Nathalie was no master hypnotist by any means, but the emotional trauma of the night rendered him mentally weak and susceptible to hypnotic suggestion. She had done as she was told. Adrien believed his mother to have mysteriously disappeared, and that it had only been maybe a year since her disappearance. All memories of what he was, be it a werecat or a werewolf, were suppressed. As far as he knew he was just a normal human child who had recently lost his mother. He was kept in the house and forbidden from going to school. If he needed companionship, people were brought to him. But one little girl in particular, a Miss Chloe Bourgeois, had been the worst influence. She was selfish, spoiled, bratty, and incredibly possessive. Yet there was something within her that recognized how unhealthy it was for Adrien to be cooped up. She encouraged him to enroll in school with her, over and over again. And Adrien listened. Which meant Nathalie had to chase after him. Eventually, she relented and convinced Gabriel to allow him to go to school with a few protective measures thrown in. And Nathalie took care of his schedule.

Just as he had predicted, using the butterfly miraculous to become a supervillain had indeed lured out those of the ladybug and the black cat. Ladybug and Chat Noir swore to defeat him, and in return Hawkmoth had sworn to divest the young heroes of their magical objects for his own gain. Nathalie’s part in all of this? To stay by his side as his most loyal support.

Nearly a century Nathalie had lived with Gabriel, and only recently had she finally been able to put a name to the feelings she’d suppressed and ignored for so long. Love. It was love. She loved Gabriel Agreste, and yet she was doing everything in her power to help him bring back Emilie. What a twisted situation this was. She could never confess, not when he had spent so long working to bring everything together and get her back. Even with the continuous failures he wouldn’t give up hope. And the one time he did, well, that had only lasted about five minutes before he was right back to his old tricks.

Somehow, Nathalie realized that the longer he went without succeeding, the further from his original goal he got. They said absolute power corrupted absolutely, and she had first hand proof that this was true. And yet, she couldn’t,  _ wouldn’t _ leave him. Even if Emilie hadn’t made her promise not to. Now, she was in too deep to ever think about leaving.

There was one evening in which Nathalie finished with her duties for the day and let out a sigh as she packed up to return to her home down in the basement. A separate quarter from where Emilie lay, but something that would keep the hated sunlight far from her. She had looked to her boss, her master, and saw him standing at his podium as he always was. She looked to the windows, specifically constructed as to allow light not to reach further than halfway into the room. It had been a precaution for them both. 

She saw the fading twilight and the lights turn on. Relocating to Paris, but they had been here so long any memory of Adrien’s had been altered to believe that he’d grown up here. The city of lights, and yet… Nathalie sighed.

“There is no place for us in this world anymore, don’t you think Nathalie?” his voice startled her from her reverie. Nathalie glanced at him before returning an unseeing gaze to the sights below.

“No,” she agreed, “There really isn’t. Where have the times gone when we were monsters? When we were feared, revered, respected and rejected? Hunted or were hunted down? What are we to the populous now? Nothing more than myths or legends? Something to be fantasized over because we’re suddenly the subject of pop culture fascination and fetishization? How long has it been, sir, since you allowed the beast that is as much a part of you as the man standing before me to run free?”

“You know it has been a long, long time,” Gabriel answered, “Since I have felt the moon’s touch. I avoid it like you avoid the sun, the only difference is that moonlight will not kill me.”

“I haven’t hunted since the invention of blood banks,” Nathalie lamented, “the false medical conditions allow me to receive a bag every week. For “transfusion”, ha. I miss the nights when we stalked through the shadows, seeking out prey and devouring them utterly. Don’t you?”

“What is stopping you?” Gabriel asked.

“What hunting can I do?” Nathalie asked, “With all the lights here in Paris it’s about as easy to hunt as it is to get away with murder in broad daylight. And my shadows…” she summoned them, felt them swirl around her like a piece of favorite clothing, but they only came up to her neck, “They’ve learned only to do this.”

“Go,” he told her, “Hunt. do for both of us what I cannot.”

Nathalie stared at him a moment, “Who says you cannot?”

“A werewolf in Paris? Please, as though that isn’t going to go unnoticed.”

“No more noticed than the countless akumas with varied abilities you’ve already sent out,” Nathalie reasoned, “But if you’re so worried… hunt me.”

Gabriel blinked in surprise, “Pardon?”

“I said, hunt me,” Nathalie repeated, “Take some wolfsbane if you’re worried and let the moon release you. I can handle what you dish out. And so long as I feed afterwards, I’ll be fine.”

“What if I bite you?” Gabriel asked, seemingly worried, “Werewolf bites cause lycanism.”

“I’m already a vampire,” Nathalie parried, “And if biting a werewolf can’t turn them into a vampire, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work in reverse either.”

“Are you certain?”

“Only one way to find out,” she flashed her fangs, “Hunt me.”

Gabriel was a man who, though he would never admit it aloud, loved a challenge. He loved the feeling, the immense satisfaction of a hard won victory. And the one person he’d never been able to conquer was Nathalie Sancoeur. He was consumed by his desires and thus oblivious to her feelings, else he never would have operated on that logic. But the point stood, here was an opportunity to conquer the unconquerable ice queen herself, and it was too tempting to resist.

“Alright,” he said, pulling out a small vial of wolfsbane and taking a swig, “If you want to play then by all means,” he stepped into the moonlight and took in the look of keen anticipation on her face, “Let’s play,” he finished with a growl as the change washed over him and he felt the beast kept locked away in his soul break free.

Gabriel was in far more control of his faculties than he rightly should have given the position of the moon. Thanks to the wolfsbane, he was weakened, but only instinctually. He would be aware of his actions, and if he let the best get the better of him then it was his own fault. Nathalie was breathing heavy with anticipation, and he knew because she rarely forgot she didn’t need to breathe. The wolf sank down to all fours and took a single step towards her. And Nathalie was off like a shot. He chased her through the labyrinthian hallways of the overly large manor. The problem was was that she had been involved with its construction, and knew it just as well as he did. It made her harder to catch, and she hadn’t even resorted to using her shadows just yet. Even as he chased Gabriel knew he was being led. And that if Nathalie was caught, it would only be because she let herself. She knew how to hide, and how to conceal, and how to fight. And she was too smart to accidentally lead herself into a corner. Thus, when they ended up in yet another room beneath the house, it was of little surprise to him. Nathalie didn’t want to run, didn’t want to be taken down like some meek and unsuspecting little lamb. Nathalie preferred the thrill of the hunt, and her favorite thing was when her prey tried to fight back.

She was backed against the wall, and Gabriel couldn’t help the involuntary licking of his chops. There had been times where his claws had scratched her and the lick of her blood within his nostrils had been invigorating. He had wanted a taste, but she’d always managed to fend him off before things went too far. Now, though, now she was ready for his bite, and he was more than ready to tear into her flesh. Just as he would have pounced though, she melted into the shadows and disappeared. Gabriel growled, she just didn’t play fair. Then again, what was fair in a fight between a werewolf and a vampire?

He sensed, rather than anything else, her attack from behind. Gabriel just barely managed to turn and bare his teeth before she was withdrawing. The problem with the shadowmancer was that she loved to make it seem like she was everywhere and nowhere all at once. It was a way of confusing and disorienting her opponent, that would allow her to strike at the most opportune moment. Gabriel’s ears were flicking back and forth trying to catch any modicum of sound, his nose was on high alert, searching for any changes in the air. Nathalie tugged at his tail just to be cheeky. He turned around and snapped, she just barely managed to duck back into the safety of the darkness. Gabriel heard her laughing at him as it echoed endlessly within the chamber and he growled lowly in his throat. His hackles raised and he was growling menacingly, constantly circling as he tried to pinpoint where she was.

“Gabriel…” she cooed, her voice rolling over him, “Come on, don’t you want to catch me?”

This was a trap, it had to be a trap.

“I’m right here,” a pale hand ducked out of the darkness, beckoning him closer, “Don’t you want a taste?”

Gabriel growled and only just barely managed to refrain from pouncing. It was a trap. It was definitely a trap. But damn it all if he hadn’t so nearly succumbed, only being slightly strong enough to resist. The woman was incorrigible.

He could feel the overdone pout on her lips as he refused to play, “Aw, that’s too bad,” she cooed, “Because that’s exactly what I want from you.”

And from the shadows, she pounced, aiming for his neck. Gabriel ducked out of the way and pounced on top of her, pinning her down. The action of the attacks caused her hair to fall out of place, spilling out around her in a deep, inky pool as she lay there on the ground. Her eyes were fierce, heated with barely disguised bloodlust. Had she not been feeding lately? But the man in Gabriel could really only register how beautiful and desirable she looked right now. And that was bad, because the wolf turned thoughts into instinctive reactions. And beauty, desire, it turned physical, fast.

Gabriel growled low in his throat again, this time more agitated with himself than with her. She’d done this to try and help him, to be there for him as she always was. He was no fool, he realized a long time ago she went above and beyond what he expected of her in regards to helping him. She was his biggest, and most loyal supporter. And it had to be because of more than Emilie’s dying promise. Nathalie, despite how she might protest, genuinely cared for him and his son. And, Gabriel found he cared for her. He always had, but desire had never before entered the equation as it had tonight. He cursed himself for being weak enough to succumb to her charms. Emilie, they were doing this all for Emilie. To have any feelings for another woman would be a betrayal to her right? Especially when he’d been doing everything in his power to bring her back, to make things the way they once had been.

But… would things ever even be the same even if he succeeded? The world had changed, so much, so fast. And only Nathalie was truly able to comprehend the depth of how it affected him. She was there, with him and for him. She knew how lost and adrift he felt, without his mate, without a place. Monsters were a dying breed by and large. They couldn’t survive in the modern world, and so they relegated themselves to death and legend. They were the last bastions of a long forgotten world. Was it so wrong to take comfort in one another?

Gabriel didn’t know anymore. What he knew now was that he wanted Nathalie. He wanted to bite her, mark her, claim her as his own. And if he was correctly reading the look in her eyes and the licking of her lips, she wanted to do the same. Damn this infernal and uncontrollable transformation. He wanted to tell her that himself, not have to try and communicate it through his eyes and his body language. But Nathalie knew him well enough not to need his voice. She tipped her head back, baring her throat. Submission. And it shot through him like an arrow, a zinging, heady sensation rushing through his blood, a jolt to his brain. He sunk his teeth in, relishing in the breathy gasp that escaped her. Werewolf teeth were sharp, but designed for clean and swift entry, much akin to a needle for a vaccination. The taste of her blood, ancient and primal and magic exploded on his tongue, coating it like a thick, rich wine.

And just as he reeled from the sensation of her blood on his tongue, she sank her teeth in and drank from him. The sharing of blood, of the essence vital to life, it caused an unexpected reaction. No, neither one of them changed from what they were to what the other was. But, the sharing of blood created a bond between them. And suddenly, there was no longer solitude within their minds. It was the presence they had felt physically for years, but mentally. The beast within Gabriel sniffed curiously at this new intrusion. Nathalie’s response, intentional or not, was such a show of will it cowed him.

They remained as they were, Nathalie laying beneath him and Gabriel standing above her. They both looked shocked. Tentatively he felt her reach out with her mind, reeling back instantly when she felt his response.

_ “Sir?” _ he heard her voice as clearly as though she’d spoken aloud, even though she hadn’t.

_ “What?” _ had been his response.

_ “You’re, you’re still in there. I mean I always assumed but…” _

_ “I told you, remember? The wolfsbane keeps me sane, but otherwise I am left to the whims of the lunar cycle.” _

_ “What happens when you go full werewolf?” _

_ “To be honest, I don’t remember. It is very rare, the times I let myself be caught without wolfsbane since I learned of its usage.” _

_ “But you run the risk of killing yourself each time you take it, don’t you?” _

_ “Why are you so concerned with my wellbeing?” _

_ “I promised I’d take care of you, didn’t I?” _

_ “There’s more to it than that. And don’t try and lie to me, we’re present in each other’s mind now.” _

_ “It doesn’t matter sir, we should go.” _

And then, perhaps because she was more used to this than he, she was able to shut off contact between them. They were still keenly aware of the presence the other took up in their mind, even as Nathalie got up and retreated to her cell. Gabriel had the oddest sensation he had somehow missed something.

MLB

When they had enacted the plan Nathalie had had to stay behind in the lair. She could not touch the sunlight without being harmed. So he had been the one to go out, to deal with the heroes. He’d underestimated them. He should have known when Catalyst’s control was broken all the akumas -including the akumatized heroes- would be reverted back. He’d simply thought he’d had more time. They’d had him cornered, he’d been so close to losing everything. And then, she’d stepped in and saved him yet again. She always seemed to be doing this. But there had been a reason he’d gone with the butterfly miraculous instead of the peacock. The peacock was damaged, and though she was a vampire, there was no telling what kind of damage it could still do. Nathalie was a magical creature, but so was Duusu and her brooch. And if merely sharing their blood had created a psychic link -one Nathalie had put up severe mental barriers against after that first night- there was no telling what mixing a vampire with a damaged miraculous could do.

He’d found her collapsed on the floor in the shadows. So weak that had the sun shifted further into the room she would have been helpless to avoid her imminent demise. He himself was feeling particularly drained after everything that had happened, but he was nowhere near as weak as she was. He’d carried her back down to the main part of the house, settling her in a chair near the dining area. She looked pale, paler than usual, paler than the deathly pallor that was her normal complexion. Nathalie hadn’t even been able to stand, and presumably she’d had both her vampiric and akumatized strength at her disposal when she’d activated the miraculous. Just how parasitic was this thing?

“I told you never to use the peacock miraculous,” he chided as he knelt before her.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Nathalie protested weakly, “I had to save you, and I couldn’t go outside…”

“It’s damaged, and way too dangerous. Do you even know  _ why _ it’s left you so weak when by all accounts you should be able to handle it?”

She blinked in a nonplus manner for a moment or two. Then she dazedly shook her head. As smart as she was, Gabriel had deliberately kept this information from her. He knew she would have taken the risk if she thought it was worth it. But she’d never defied an order before now.

Gabriel sighed, “Whatever caused the damage, whatever was powerful enough to do something like that, it left Duusu in a weakened state. Normally the miraculouses and their Kwamis are self-sustaining, or they can feed on human food to regain their energy. Duusu… she doesn’t work like that anymore. Now she feeds on her wielders’ lifeforce.”

“But I’m-” already dead she wanted to protest, but then a fit of coughing came over her. She hadn’t needed to breathe, but faced with the sudden difficulty in doing so left her uncomfortable and panicky and human.

“I know,” Gabriel brushed her half-made argument aside, “But do you know what a human’s lifeforce is, truly?” he paused and waited for her to shake her head again, “It’s their soul, Nathalie. And as damned as yours probably is, it’s still there. You still have it, and Duusu will feed on it every time you use her abilities.”

“But I know I can help you!” Nathalie protested, “You have to let me do this!”

“Why?” Gabriel grabbed her by the shoulders, “Why would you do that? Does your promise to Emilie mean that much to you?”

Nathalie’s eyes were half-lidded, and she wavered even as she sat up further. She was drained and likely delirious, but she was always honest, “I want to help you until the very end, no matter the price,” she told him, “But not because of Emilie.”

“Then why?”

“T‘s a secret,” she slurred. And he realized she needed blood, strong blood. Immediately.

Still, he stared at her a moment, before letting a soft and genuine smile cross his lips, “Thank you Nathalie,” he told her as he place one of his hands atop hers, “For everything.”

“Anything for you, sir,” she replied before passing out.

Aware that Adrien might come home even though he’d been allowed to go to the picnic Gabriel gathered Nathalie back up in his arms and retreated to her room down below. Electric lights were a modern miracle, and Nathalie made full use of them. Notably, she loved fairy lights, and had them strung all throughout her quarters. They were her primary lights, and he flicked them on with a free hand, casting the room in a soft, warm glow. Her bed,  in accordance with her color scheme, was draped in blood reds and inky blacks. Just like her outfits, just like her hair. The color of life, and the color of death. Gabriel sat atop the plush mattress and cradled her. Nooroo was floating close by, anxiously looking on. Though he wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone, he apparently enjoyed having Nathalie around. Nathalie treated him well, better than his master did at least. It only made sense that he would like her. Propping her up with one arm, he undid his cravat with the other, and popped the button on his collar. With his neck freed from the restrictions of clothing he brought her face closer to him.

“Nathalie,” he jostled her, “Nathalie wake up, you need to feed.”

Sure, he could have retrieved a blood bag from her fridge as his logic had argued. But, another just as logical but perhaps far more emotionally invested part of him parried, vampires fed better when they took from a living source. Monster he may be, but he was the closest living thing at the moment. Kwamis didn’t bleed, else he was almost positive Nooroo would have offered himself up had he thought it might help.

Nathalie made a sound associated with interrupted sleep before curling in deeper, seeking out the warmth from him that she could no longer generate.

Gabriel nudged her again, “Come on Nathalie, wake up!”

Again she murmured, and that was a relief. Since, being a vampire, Gabriel couldn’t rely on the steady rise and fall of her chest to let him know she was still with him. He’d already lost Emilie, if he lost Nathalie too he didn’t know how he might stay sane anymore. He didn’t know how to break Adrien of the hypnotic suggestion Nathalie had put him under. And watching his son relive the same year again and again no matter how much changed, with no one but himself as guidance, Gabriel didn’t know if he could handle that. And he was certain Adrien didn’t deserve that.

But again, Nathalie wouldn’t wake up. Nothing for it then. Gabriel concentrated and allowed a single black claw to grow from one of his fingers. He placed it against the skin of his throat and drew a quick but harsh line against it. Blood welled to the surface, and he was hoping the scent of it would draw Nathalie out of her stupor long enough to start feeding. To his immense relief, it worked. Nathalie moved in closer until he felt her tongue daintily swiping at the wound, probing gently as she drank. This went on for several minutes, as her weak suckling turned to fervent feeding. Gabriel stopped her only when he felt like he would pass out.

“Sir?” she was still a little faint looking, which said a lot about how much Duusu had taken from her.

“Yes?” he replied, feeling a little light-headed himself.

She leaned in and placed a blood-stained kiss against his lips. Chaste, but sincere, and it left him wanting more. The memories of the night when they had marked each other came flooding back. Emilie help him, help him and forgive him, because Gabriel realized he cared, deeply, for Nathalie Sancoeur.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she drew back, falling once more into a stuporous slumber. This time so weak she forgot she didn’t need to breathe. Gabriel let out a final relieved sigh even as his heart raced within his breast. Gently, Gabriel placed her on her bed and tucked the covers up around her. When he was certain she was all settled in he retreated to the other side of the room. His hand hovered over the switch as he watched her sleep.

To the silent room he replied, “Anytime, Nathalie,”

And with a single click, the room plunged into darkness once more.

**Author's Note:**

> So... I know I have like... a million other things to update. But it's also the end of the semester and I'm a humanities major which means a lot, a lot, of paper writing. This is probably the last thing until sometime in December. Hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you all next time


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